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Monday, October 24, 2005

I myself feel, and also tell other Buddhists that the question of Nirvana will come later. There is not much hurry. If in day to day life you lead a good life, honesty, with love, with compassion, with less selfishness, then automatically it will lead to Nirvana.~His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

James's comment:I remember when I first started to follow Buddhism I got too caught up in the concepts of "Nirvana" and "Enlightenment" instead of just sitting, breathing and watching. I am now more aware that these day to day activities open our eyes to the already existent state of Nirvana or Enlightenment. Stick to the basics and you can not go wrong in my opinion.

Sounds like you have/had? a wonderful grandmother. It is so beautiful to me how truth is truth no matter what one's religion might be. At the heart of most religions there is more in common then not I have found.

Being raised in a culture of achieving goals and obtaining levels of success, it was hard to grasp the concept of leaving behind the "becoming" to simply except "being."It is so easy to see ones self on a path to something else, I find that often it is discontentment that urges us along to nowhere.

I see it as another form of attachment and aversion to be always grasping at the next moment and trying to escape the present one. Whether the hopeful goal is something material or something spiritual, it is still denial of the nirvana that is present right here right now, waiting for us to pay attention to it.

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About Me

A Zen Buddhist who follows in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh but I enjoy teachings from all Buddhist traditions. In addition, I am influenced by Taoism and Secular Humanism. I am also a nature lover and live with Schizo-Affective Disorder. The blog is titled, "The Buddhist Blog" because it was all that I could think of for a name. It does not mean that somehow I think my blog is the definitive blog on Buddhism. It is not. It is one traveler's footprints and nothing more. I am not a Buddhist teacher. This blog is a journal of my humble travels as I try to follow the middle path of Buddhism. Take my hand and walk with me for awhile. I have a university degree in U.S. History with a special emphasis in African history. As well as a minor in World Geography.
Contact me: jaymur@gmail.com